Top Questions

What County is Norfolk in?

None.  Norfolk is not located in a county. Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 39 independent cities, which are considered county-equivalents for census purposes. All municipalities incorporated as cities are independent cities and are not part of a county.

What is an abandoned Vehicle? What if my car is towed?

Inoperative vehicles on residential or commercial property must be removed, repaired or stored in a fully enclosed building. Abandoned vehicles on public streets and property should be reported. Report such problems to the Norfolk Cares Line at 664-6510. If your vehicle has been towed by the City of Norfolk you may contact the Towing and Recovery Impound Lot at 441-1062. The Impound is open 24 hrs a day 365 days a year. For further information you may click on http://www.norfolk.gov/PublicWorks/towin.asp

Bicycle, Moped, and Go-Cart Requirements

All persons operating a bicycle, moped, or go-cart must obey official traffic control signals, signs, and other traffic control devices which apply to vehicles, unless otherwise directed by a police officer. Signs indicating that no right, left, or U-turn is permitted, shall be obeyed, except where the person dismounts from the bicycle and obeys normal pedestrian regulations. Any person riding upon a roadway shall ride as close as possible to the right-hand side of the roadway. It is also illegal for any person to carry another person on a bicycle unless it is designed and equipped to carry another person. A driver's license is not required to operate a moped. However, anyone who has had his or her driver's license suspended or revoked is prohibited from operating a moped. All mopeds or bikes must be equipped with a bell, siren, or whistle to warn others. It must also be equipped with a white light on the front of the bike and a red light, red reflector or both on the rear of the bike or moped. A bicycle license is also required for bicycles and mopeds. Licenses are available, free of charge, from any of the three Police Precincts.

First Patrol 3661 E. Virginia Beach Blvd. 664-7016

Second Patrol 2500 N. Military Hwy. 664-6900

Third Patrol 975 Goff Street 823-4433

You may also be interested in an unofficial map of bike routes throughout the city at http://www.norfolk.gov/mayor/assets/maps/bikeMap.pdf

How do I file a Code Violation Complaint?

If you wish to report a complaint regarding a violation of a building code, city ordinance, property in disrepair, vehicles that have been abandoned, vacant lots with tall weeds and grass, trash and unsightly conditions of property, or other type complaints that you consider require action by a department within the City of Norfolk government, you may telephone the Citizens Call Center at telephone number 664-6510. This service is for NON-EMERGENCY complaints only. Your complaint will be taken by a customer service representative, entered into the data base system and assigned to the responsible department for investigation. All complaints will be investigated within forty eight hours of receipt. If after investigation by field inspection staff, the complaint is determined to be a violation of a specific code or ordinance, the property owner responsible for the violation will be given an informal notice apprising him or her of the violation(s) and will be given a specific length of time to correct the violation. In most cases, violations can be corrected within a short period of time, however, for those property owners who live out of the area, have undue hardships, or other justified reasons, the property owner may be granted an extension of compliance time. In cases where the property owner fails to comply with the requirements for abatement of the violation, a formal notice will be given and may result in the property owner being required to appear in court to show just cause as to why they have failed to comply. When cases have to be processed through the court system, correction of the violation may take substantially longer to correct. Once you have filed a complaint that has been determined to be a justified violation, you may call back at any time during the normal working hours of 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at telephone number 664-6510, to follow up on the complaint.

When are my real estate taxes due?

Real estate taxes are assessed at 100% of fair market value. The real estate rate is $1.11 per $100 of assessed valuation. Real estate is billed quarterly on a fiscal year basis with the fiscal year commencing July 1st. The taxes are payable as follows: First Quarter - September 30 Second Quarter - December 5 Third Quarter - March 31 Fourth Quarter - June 5 For questions regarding your real estate tax bill, please call the Real Estate section of the treasurers office at 664-7800. For questions relating to assessments should be addressed to the City Real Estate Assessor at 664-4732, or you may click on http://www.norfolk.gov/Treasurer/real_estate_tax.asp#3

What is my vehicle property tax?

The Commissioner of the Revenue's Personal Property Tax Team is responsible for the assessment of taxes on individual and business vehicles. Autos, trucks, motorcycles, and utility trailers are assessed on a prorated basis using the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Blue Book value. Leased vehicles such as cars and trucks, are taxable as personal property also. There is no personal property tax on daily vehicle rentals.

Vehicles - Based upon the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Blue Book value all automobiles, trucks motorcycles, utility trailers and leased vehicles are assessed on a prorated basis at the rate of $4.33 per $100.00.

Recreational Vehicles - Based upon the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Recreational Appraisal Guide at the rate of $1.50 per $100.00.

Pleasure Boats - Current tax rate is $0.50 per $100.00.

Aircraft - Based upon the Aircraft Blue Book at the rate of $2.40 per $100.00.

Mobile Homes - Current tax rate is $1.11 per $100.00.

If you need the assistance of the Personal Property Tax Team call (757) 664-7884 or click on http://www.norfolk.gov/Revenue/persprop/vehicles.htm

How do I get information on Child and Marital support?

There are several avenues that a person may use to obtain an order for child and/or spousal support after a separation. If divorce proceedings have been initiated, the Circuit Court Judge may enter an Order for support pending the final divorce decree. To initiate divorce proceedings, consult a private attorney or seek the help of Tidewater Legal Aid Society at 627-5423. If neither party has filed for a divorce, and if the person seeking support is not receiving any public assistance, that person may go directly to the Juvenile Court Services Unit, located at 800 East City Hall Avenue in downtown Norfolk or call them at 664-7600. At the Court Services Unit, a petition for support can be filed. As an alternative, apply for the services of the Division of Child Support Enforcement, also called DCSE. DCSE is a state agency whose services are available to all custodial parents in child support cases. Services include establishing legal paternity, obtaining child support orders, collecting and "keeping track" of child support payments, and enforcing child support orders by wage assignments and income tax refund intercepts. A person seeking spousal support or a custodial parent who does not want the services of DCSE may file a petition at the Court Services Unit. The person from whom support is requested will be summoned to Court. The Juvenile Judge will review financial information from both sides and may enter the child and/or spousal support order. All payments in these cases must be made directly to the parent or spouse - no agency will "keep track" of payments. Those people who do want the services of the Division of Child Support Enforcement may not file their own petitions, but must go through DCSE. The Norfolk DCSE office is located in the Koger Center, York Building, Suite 200, 6340 Center Drive in Norfolk. You will need to make an appointment with DCSE to apply for their services, by calling 1-877-695-5497. Those people receiving Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) must go through DCSE. Cases in which paternity is at issue and those where the absent parent is in another state are strongly urged to go through DCSE. That number again is 1-877-695-5497.

You may also find information at http://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/dcse.html and http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/jdr/Norfolk/home.html

What is the rate on business tangible property?

Norfolk levies a tax on personal property employed in a trade, business, or profession. This personal property includes, but is not limited to furniture, fixtures, equipment, machinery and tools. A detailed depreciation schedule, including all fully depreciated items or a list of fixed assets itemizing all property must be submitted. This business personal property return must be filed with the Commissioner of the Revenue by March 1 (unless an extension has been requested in writing and granted).

The payment date of Business Personal Property is June 5. The business property assessment rate is 40% of cost, regardless of age

Vehicles - Based upon the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Blue Book value all automobiles, trucks motorcycles, utility trailers and leased vehicles are assessed on a prorated basis at the rate of $4.33 per $100.00.

Recreational Vehicles - Based upon the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Recreational Appraisal Guide at the rate of $1.50 per $100.00.

Business Boats - Current tax rate is $1.50 per $100.00.

Aircraft - Based upon the Aircraft Blue Book at the rate of $2.40 per $100.00.

Machinery and Tools - Current tax rate is $4.25 per $100.00.

All property is taxed for the entire year, even if it is sold or moved out of Norfolk after January 1st of each year. If you need the assistance of our Business Tax office please call (757) 664-7886. or click on www.norfolk.gov/revenue